Not applicable.
The present invention relates generally to techniques for treating crude oil prior to transporting it, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for reducing the pour point of the crude. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system for thermally cracking the high boiling components of the crude so as to provide a processed crude that can withstand extended periods at temperatures below the cloud point of the raw crude without suffering from wax formation.
As drilling for oil is performed in harsher locations (i.e. deep water, arctic regions, regions with limited infrastructure, etc.), or far from a host-facility the expense associated with transporting the crude oil from the wellhead to a receiving facility increases significantly. Pipelines and tankers are two common means for transporting crude over long distances. In the case of offshore wells, the pipelines lie on the sea floor, where the ambient temperatures can be relatively low (i.e. 35-45xc2x0 F.). Similarly, some overland pipelines, such as those in the arctic, may also be at relatively low ambient temperatures. One disadvantage of transporting crude oil at low temperatures is that certain crudes may contain a significant quantity of wax. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cwaxxe2x80x9d refers to and encompasses various high boiling, high molecular weight paraffinic hydrocarbons that gel or solidify at relatively high temperatures. When these compounds are present in a liquid, the temperature at which these compounds begin to solidify is referred to as the xe2x80x9ccloud pointxe2x80x9d or wax appearance temperature of that liquid. The temperature at which the wax gels is referred to as the xe2x80x9cpour pointxe2x80x9d. In instances where the cloud point of a waxy crude is higher than the local ambient temperature, the likelihood of wax solidification and buildup is a serious threat to a stable continuous production and transportation of crude oil.
For this reason, waxy, high-pour crude oils are known to have poor pipeline flow characteristics. In addition, they exhibit a tendency to gel at temperatures encountered during transportation. This tendency is particularly troublesome when a pipeline containing these crudes is shut down under low ambient temperatures. Clearing a pipeline that has become clogged with wax or gelled crude can be very expensive and time-consuming.
A number of processes have been suggested in the art for dealing with such flow problems. For example, the pour points of waxy crudes have been improved (lowered) by the removal of a part of the wax by solvent extraction at low temperatures, with the attendant expense of recovering the solvent. In addition, the expenses associated with disposing of the wax and providing the cooling requirements are substantial, particularly in offshore applications. In other known processes, wax is removed without the use of a solvent by centrifuging a previously heated crude that has been cooled at a critically controlled and slow rate to a centrifuging temperature of around 35xc2x0-55xc2x0 F.
Another widely practiced process involves diluting the waxy crudes with lighter fractions of hydrocarbons. This process suffers from a number of disadvantages, including the fact that the procedure involves the use of relatively large amounts of expensive hydrocarbon solvents to transport a relatively cheaper product. Furthermore, this practice also necessarily requires that the hydrocarbon solvents be available in suitable quantities, which is inconvenient in some instances, particularly offshore and in remote locations.
In another method, heating equipment installed along the pipeline at frequent intervals warms the crude and maintains it above the pour and possibly above the cloud point. Heaters employed for this purpose can use material withdrawn from the crudes being transported as fuel, but as much as 5 percent of the crude may be utilized in providing the necessary heat. Most pipelines are not equipped with such heating installations, however, and the installation of the necessary heating equipment may be economically unfeasible. In addition, when the crude is burned to provide heat, pollution concerns and treatment of the combustion exhaust gases may have to be addressed.
Hence, it is desired to provide an efficient and economically viable method and apparatus for reducing the pour point of the crude before subjecting it to low-temperature transport. It is further desired to provide a dewaxing method and apparatus that are not dependent on large volumes of solvents or other chemicals and is limited in weight and size to ensure ease of installation and favorable economics.
The present invention provides an efficient and economically feasible method for reducing the pour point of a crude before transporting it. According to the present invention, the crude is thermally cracked so as to reduce or eliminate waxy paraffin molecules by converting them to non-waxy hydrocarbons. The present invention. comprises a system including a fractionation /quench tower, heat exchanger, and furnace with reaction zone. The fractionation tower separates the waxy paraffin molecules that are the object of the process from the incoming crude stream. In the furnace, sufficient heat is supplied to these waxy paraffin molecules to initiate thermal cracking. Because thermal cracking is an exothermic process, once cracking is initiated, it continues until the stream is cooled below a minimum sustainable cracking temperature. In order to quench the stream and cool it below this minimum temperature, the stream is fed back into the bottom of the fractionation tower.